Biography

Official Diagnosis July 2019. DatScan.     I feel I was battling Parkinson’s for many years before that as I had a constant tremor (diagnosed incorrectly as idiopathic),  I had episodes of falls and at age 50 was advised to walk with a cane(28 years later I know that was the best medical advise I ever blew of), I am an avid walker, I am a Gerontologist,  recently received a Master’s in  it, plus a Master’s in Sociology plus a B.S .(all over the age of 60).  Unfortunately my Parkinson’s comes with a great deal of pain (right sided,  slow movements and rigidity, loss of balance).   However with Parkinson’s the key for me is to focus in and work on the non motor stuff and focus intently on the gut. (in the future this will be the focus – (tons of new literature on alpha-synuclein and altered microbiome in Parkinson”s)—–so I avoid constipation at all costs by eating tons of fiber(fruits, vegs) and dinking tons of water like fluids—-I do not understand completely  what is going on in the gut with Parkinson’s but nobody else does either.  For me the copious amounts of super healthy nutrients and supplements and I think the constant flushing out of toxins keep me from getting DEPRESSED which is a bummer!  Mainly because depression prevents me from EXERCISING which is vital that I do because the more I exercise the more I put symptoms at bay—–with it, I am less rigid, fall less.  very productive —finally retired at age 78 from teaching and have a rich full life.    I am not a fool and know that one day I will need Parkinson’s drugs but I feel like this is a game of kick the can down the road and I am going to enjoy doing it by having an attitude of gratitude and daily meditation (pushes the garbage out of my mind so as I sleep soundly with reduced pain ) and the longer I can the more challenged I feel. I would lie if I said it was easy—–I am making a sign for my desk with a quote from CE.Lewis; Alice in Wonderland, “Around here you have to run very fast to stay in the same place”